Bachelor and Master of Engineering (Electronic and Computer)
Program start date | Application deadline |
2024-09-01 | - |
Program Overview
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Study Engineering at University of Galway
Entry Points (2022) 500Course Overview
Electronic and Computer Engineering is a course that aims to integrate two separate engineering fields to meet the joint demands made by the electronics and computer industries in today's world. This programme combines coursework in different aspects of both fields over four years, with an emphasis on the design of computing systems. Electronics and computers, and their joint applications, are playing an ever-increasing role in our lives as Information Communications Technology (ICT), with everything from consumer goods to space shuttles using electronic hardware (circuits) and computer software integrated together. The increased use of ICT in every aspect of our lives ensures the continued relevance of this area of engineering.
Companies who design integrated electronics and computer systems require engineers who possess the software skills to complement traditional electronic hardware skills. The Electronic and Computer Engineering degree programme has been developed in response to these industry demands to develop students' hardware and software engineering skills in an integrated way and the analytical powers to apply them jointly.
Graduates of this course are ideally placed to pursue their specialism in ICT, which has wide applicability both nationally, with many indigenous technology companies and the multinational sector, and internationally. With the exponential development of ICT technologies worldwide, graduates will be at the forefront of people being employed in this area.
Integrated Masters (ME) and Work placement
All students registering for an engineering degree at University of Galway will be enrolled on an integrated five year programme; a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) (four years, Level 8) + a Master of Engineering (ME) (one year, Level 9). Upon successful completion of the five years of study, graduates will have the educational qualifications required for progression to Chartered Engineer. Students registering for an engineering degree at University of Galway in 2019 will make a decision at the beginning of 3rd Year to either remain on the BE+ME pathway (five years) or exit with a BE (four years). Students on the BE+ME pathway will avail of advanced engineering modules, a substantial research and development project, and a work placement of eight months duration during the 4th Year. For students exiting with a BE, the work placement (eight months) will occur during 3rd Year.
Read more about Engineering work placements.Accreditation
All Engineering Degrees at University of Galway are professionally accredited by the statutory professional body, Engineers Ireland. This “Accreditation” means that the degree has been assessed and approved to meet the educational requirements for professional Engineers.
Under an international agreement (Washington Accord), any Degree accredited by the National professional body (Engineers Ireland) is recognized internationally. So having an “Accredited” degree means that employers outside of Ireland can (1) understand the quality/education achieved by a graduate and (2) know that it is equivalent to their own Education system/standards, and (3) can offer appropriate employment on this basis. For example, certain functions (sign-off on large civil engineering construction projects) can only be carried out by a chartered engineer.
Engineers Ireland changed the criteria for Accreditation in 2012, and now requires a Masters (Level 9) qualification as the education standard required for Registered Professional Titles of Chartered Engineer* (prior to this, a Level 8 degree was required). The changes were implemented because the standard European engineering qualification (degree or diploma) is at level 9, and European industry maintains a strict differentiation between those engineers qualified at level 9 and those qualified at level 8. Any graduate interested in working in Europe/Worldwide is now strongly advised to get an accredited level 9 award.
Engineers Ireland accreditation can be obtained at the following levels:
*A Chartered Engineer is the highest professional education standard in Engineering. A chartered Engineer is competent (because of their education and training) to assume personal responsibility for the development and application of engineering in research, design, construction, manufacturing, superintending, managing and in the education of the engineer. His/her work is predominantly intellectual and varied and not of a routine mental or physical character. It requires the exercise of original thought and judgement and the ability to supervise the technical and administrative work of others
Program Outline
Course Outline
Year 1
Covers the basics of mathematics and science as they apply in engineering, as well as an introduction to engineering, including engineering graphics and computing.
Year 2
Year 2 covers theoretical and practical foundation in electronics and computing including programming languages, circuit analysis, digital and analogue electronics, sensors and instrumentation, communication technologies and electromagnetics.
Year 3&4
You make your decision at the start of year three whether to remain on the five-year integrated BE+ME programme or to exit with a BE at the end of year four. Year 3 continues with further training in design of digital and analogue systems, programming languages and database systems, communications and signals and systems. Year 4 covers a range of advanced topics in electronic and computer engineering including real time systems, machine learning, integrated circuit design, telecommunications software, digital signal processing and distributing systems and computing. All modules include practical classes to provide you experience of hardware/software tools for circuit design and testing. These skills are developed further in project work. Modules on professional skills such as project management are also included
Year 5 optional
At the School of Engineering we are focused on ensuring that you will be educated to the highest standards, and will have the necessary qualifications to avail of all of the professional opportunities presented to you, both in Ireland and across the world. You will be enrolled on an integrated five year programme; a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) (four years, Level 8) + a Master of Engineering (ME) (one year, Level 9). Students on the BE+ME pathway will avail of advanced engineering modules, a substantial research and development project, and a work placement. Upon successful completion of the five years of study, graduates will have the educational qualifications required for progression to Chartered Engineer. Full information on the optional 5th Year is provided www.nuigalway.ie/courses/taught-postgraduate-courses/electronic-computer-engineering.html
Curriculum Information
Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.
Glossary of Terms
Credits
You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module
An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Subject
Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
Optional
A module you may choose to study.
Required
A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Required Core Subject
A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
Semester
Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.
Year 1 (60 Credits)
RequiredEI160:
Engineering Graphics- 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required
CH140:
Engineering Chemistry- 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required
MP120:
Engineering Mechanics- 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required
MA140:
Engineering Calculus- 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required
EI140:
Fundamentals of Engineering- 10 Credits - Semester 1
Required
CT1110:
Engineering Computing I- 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required
MM140:
Engineering Mathematical Methods- 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required
EI150:
Engineering Design- 10 Credits - Semester 2
Required
CT1111:
Engineering Computing II- 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required
PH140:
Engineering Physics- 5 Credits - Semester 2
Year 2 (60 Credits)
RequiredMA2101:
Mathematics and Applied Mathematics I- 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required
ST1100:
Engineering Statistics- 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required
CT2106:
Object-Oriented Programming- 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required
EE219:
Analogue Systems Design I- 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required
EE220:
Digital Systems I- 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required
EE231:
Electronic Instrumentation and Sensors- 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional
MA2286:
Differential Forms- 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required
MA2102:
Mathematics and Applied Mathematics II- 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required
EE224:
Microprocessor Systems Engineering- 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required
EE230:
Electrical Circuits & Systems- 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required
EE2101:
Communications and Networking Foundations- 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required
EE232:
Fundamentals of Electromagnetic Theory- 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required
CT2109:
Object Oriented Programming: Data Structures and Algorithms- 5 Credits - Semester 4
Year 3 (60 Credits)
RequiredEE4102:
Secure and Wireless Communication Technologies- 5 Credits - Semester 5
Required
EE345:
Digital Systems II- 5 Credits - Semester 5
Required
EE357:
Signals and Communications- 5 Credits - Semester 5
Required
CT326:
Programming III- 10 Credits - Semester 5
Required
CT230:
Database Systems I- 5 Credits - Semester 5
Required
EE3126:
3rd Year Project- 10 Credits - Semester 5
Required
EE342:
Analogue Systems Design II- 5 Credits - Semester 6
Required
EE348:
Engineering Electromagnetics- 5 Credits - Semester 6
Required
CT414:
Distributed Systems & Co Operative Computing- 5 Credits - Semester 6
Required
CT420:
Real Time Systems- 5 Credits - Semester 6
Year 4 (60 Credits)
OptionalEE452:
System on Chip Design II- 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required
EE347:
Embedded Systems Applications Programming- 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required
EE445:
Digital Signal Processing- 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required
EE451:
System on Chip Design I- 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required
EE4101:
Mobile Networks: Architecture and Services- 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required
CT417:
Software Engineering III- 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required
ME3102:
Project Management for Engineers- 5 Credits - Semester 8
Required
EE3127:
Electrical & Electronic Discipline BE Professional Experience Programme- 20 Credits - Semester 7
Required
CT3112:
Professional Skills- 5 Credits - Semester 8
Why Choose This Course?
Career Opportunities
Completing the University of Galway/Engineers Ireland-accredited BE degree in Electronic and Computer Engineering offers a passport to national and international career opportunities in the wide and diverse range of industries, utilities and other organizations that use electronic and computer engineering expertise. This includes such areas as electronic system design, medical systems, healthcare, networking and distributed computing, telecommunications, automotive electronics, industrial automation, consumer electronics, broadcasting, management information systems and energy management systems. ICT expertise offers you the prospect of doing research or working in industry in these interesting, exciting and challenging areas.
About University of Galway
Founded in 1845, we've been inspiring students for 178 years. University of Galway has earned international recognition as a research-led university with a commitment to top quality teaching.
Minimum Grade H5 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at O6/H7 Level in the Leaving Certificate, including Irish, English, Mathematics, a laboratory science subject (i.e., Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Physics with Chemistry (joint), Agricultural Science or Computer Science) or Technology, and any two other subjects recognised for entry purposes. Additional requirements: Minimum H4 in Mathematics or, alternatively, obtain a pass in the Engineering Maths Qualifying Exam (held in the University).
Students must obtain a minimum of Grade H4 in the Higher Level Leaving Certificate paper in Mathematics or, or, alternatively places available (which may vary in number year to year) may be allocated to those candidates who have achieved the points requirement for the programme that year, who satisfy the general requirements for Matriculation in the College of Engineering and Informatics and who attain a Pass in the Engineering Maths Qualifying Examination. The places available will be allocated in strict order of merit based points attained in the Leaving Certificate. Due to capacity constraints, not all candidates who achieve a pass in the examination may receive an offer.
For A-Levels: A minimum of Grade C in Mathematics is required